Chapter 266 The Greatest Diplomat of the 9th Century
Chapter 266 The Greatest Diplomat of the Nineteenth Century
On March 1867, the sixth year of the Tongzhi reign (April 4, 23 in the Gregorian calendar), Shao Quanzhong, representing the Qing Dynasty, and Gorchakov, representing Russia, signed the Tashkent Treaty of Friendship between Qing and Russia.
Russia sold 1,518,800 square kilometers of Alaska to its friendly country, the Qing Dynasty, for 5.6 million taels of silver.
On behalf of the Qing Dynasty, Shao Quanzhong apologized for the accidental attack on friendly troops in Tashkent, respectfully sent Governor Kaufman and 50,000 Russian soldiers back to their country, and presented Governor Kaufman with a Ferghana horse to express his apologies.
In order to ensure continued good-neighborly friendship between the two countries, the Sino-Russian Beijing Treaty signed by both sides in 1860 was abolished and the Treaty of Aihui was revised.
The more than 400,000 square kilometers of land east of the Ussuri River, including Sakhalin Island, which was formerly under the jurisdiction of the Jilin General of the Qing Dynasty, continue to be jointly managed by both parties.
More than 600,000 square kilometers of land north of Heilongjiang River and south of the Greater Khingan Range are designated as "unsettled areas" to be resolved later.
The above is the content of the treaty, which includes the largest land transaction in world history.
Lucia allowed the Jilin General Area to return from exclusive control to joint management by both parties, and that was the only concession.
The public treaty did not mention Russia's defeat, did not cede territory or pay compensation, and did not mention Tashkent and the Seven Rivers region. It was Russia that took the money, and it was the Qing Dynasty that apologized. The Tsar's face was guaranteed to the greatest extent.
At the same time, the two sides signed the Qinglu Tashkent Treaty, forming a secret alliance to jointly resist British oppression.
Count Shao Quanzhong of the Qing Dynasty became a Russian citizen and married Maria Alexandrovna, the 15-year-old eldest daughter of Tsar Alexander II.
His Majesty the Tsar appointed his son-in-law Shao Quanzhong as the Duke of Almaty, and gave the Seven Rivers Region and Tashkent Oasis to Duke Shao as his daughter's dowry. The "Duke of Almaty" became Duke Shao's private territory.
If Duke Shao wants to incorporate his private territory into the Qing territory, he must announce it at least half a year later, which has nothing to do with current events.
The Qing Dynasty guaranteed that after purchasing Alaska, it would prevent British forces in North America from infiltrating Russia's Siberian territory from the Pacific direction.
Russia will allow the restoration of the Kazakh Khanate, return the skulls of the Kazakh hero Kenesar Khan and the warrior Keyik, which have been made into wine glasses, and invite Kenesar Khan's son Ahmut to inherit the throne as a buffer zone between Qing and Russia to avoid accidental conflicts.
But the restoration of the Kazakh Khanate will take place three months later, and that will be another separate event.
It was because the Russian Empire was dissatisfied with the repeated uprisings in the Kazakh territory that it voluntarily gave up this "difficult to govern place", which did not count as a concession by Russia to the Qing Dynasty.
If the Kazakh Khanate was to return to being a vassal of the Qing Dynasty, it would have to wait at least six months to preserve dignity for the Tsar.
At the same time, Lucia actually withdrew its troops from Jilin General District and only retained the right of investment immigration in Jilin General District.
In this secret agreement, Russia actually gave up the Jilin General Region. Without the government's mandatory leadership, few Russians would take the initiative to immigrate to the Far East. But on the surface, it was still jointly managed by both parties.
The Qing Dynasty successively purchased Alaska and British Columbia, which separated Britain's territory in North America from the Pacific Ocean and expanded its territory to the Arctic Ocean.
As for Shao Quanzhong bringing his private territory to join another country, this is the norm in Europe.
The German family of Hanover became king of Britain, and the territory of Hanover became part of Britain.
It was not until Queen Victoria ascended the throne and gave the territory of Hanover to the male heirs of her uncles that the territory of Hanover returned to Germany.
Therefore, the change of the governing country of the "Duke of Almaty" was a normal event caused by marriages between great nobles and had nothing to do with the current Central Asian conflict.
The British only cared about economic benefits and had no doubts about Shao Quanzhong's allegiance.
The Russians had been ruled by the Mongols for 400 years, and they had Mongolian blood flowing in their veins, so they understood the mentality of the Orientals very well. They understood that Shao Quanzhong must have been temporarily forbearing the British, which was the basis for the two sides to achieve a secret alliance.
This was the first time that the Qing Dynasty signed a treaty and corresponding secret agreement that took advantage of itself and allowed the other party to retain the dignity of a great power.
Then, Russia published the "Second Edition of the Gorchakov Report", publicly declaring that it would abandon all military actions in Central Asia and give up military demands in the Caucasus region.
The first version of this report was published in 1864, stating that Russia's actions in Central Asia only involved large cities, not full occupation, and would not affect British interests. However, this was simply a trick to fool the British and was not actually implemented.
The British also discovered this, which is why they supported Shao Quanzhong against Russia. With the publication of the second edition of this report, Russia publicly and completely abandoned the Central Asian strategy and promised not to engage in the Russo-Turkish war, mainly to endorse Shao Quanzhong and make it easier for him to explain himself to the British and Turks.
Next, the in-laws Qing and Russia signed the Qing-Russia Non-Aggression Treaty, and the two sides maintained the current border status for 50 years and continued to be friendly neighbors.
The genius diplomat Gorchakov had an epiphany after being shot, and his series of stunning moves amazed the world.
On the surface, Lucia did not give up any land, and even sold the useless Alaska which was losing money.
Alaska is located in North America, and to the east is the territory of its extremely powerful neighbor, Britain. Russia has no control over it at all, and that land is at risk of British invasion at any time.
It turns out that without Shao Quanzhong's intervention, Lucia was planning to sell Alaska to the United States.
But the Russians know that as fellow Angolans, the United States and Britain are bound to be in the same boat when facing Russia.
Now that there is the option of Qing, of course it is better to sell it to Qing at the same price. Anyway, the border between Qing and Lu is long enough, so this piece is not a big deal.
Those who are not of my race must have different hearts. Lucia is the European country that understands the East best.
The Qing Dynasty was definitely not on the same page as Britain in essence. With the Qing Dynasty at the forefront, Lucia felt much more at ease.
After selling Alaska to the Qing Dynasty, Russia not only ensured the security of its core interest, Siberia, but also obtained a large sum of money. This money was like a shot in the arm for Russia, whose economy was collapsing.
The Qing and Lu countries had been at war in Central Asia, but after Gorchakov's arrival, the two sides became friendly relatives and agreed not to fight for fifty years.
Lucia no longer had to worry about anything and could focus on competing for supremacy in Europe. She went from being attacked everywhere to having a stable and secure rear area, and the strategic situation improved greatly in an instant.
What is the art of diplomacy? What is a great diplomat? The greatest diplomat of the 19th century was born.
Gorchakov's good name will quickly spread throughout the world with the detailed report of the signing by war correspondent Mark Twain.
"Bang! Boom!"
Spotlights flashed, smoke billowed, and the two parties to the contract took a group photo.
Thanks to this exclusive report, The California Terra will surely sell well and grow into a world-class newspaper.
The war correspondent Mark Twain deserves credit for this. It was expected that he would be promoted to general manager, become CEO, marry a beautiful and rich woman, and reach the peak of his life.
At this point, the Qing-Luo Tashkent Treaty and the Qing-Luo Non-Aggression Treaty were officially recorded in history.
(End of this chapter)